The Journal added that FEMA “is already months behind schedule in its preparations for the hurricane season,” which forecasters expect will be busier than usual, like last year. The season’s official start date is June 1, but storm activity in the Atlantic has begun in late May in recent years.

Hurricane preparations at FEMA have slowed to a crawl. With hurricane season weeks away, a new assessment raises a number of red flags about how the agency would respond to a major disaster.